(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a subdivided stabilizer according to the features of the preamble of claim 1.
Such stabilizers are employed in particular in vehicular technology.
(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
A stabilizer is coordinated in principle to each axle of a motor vehicle, wherein the stabilizer operates according to the torsion bar principle, and wherein the stabilizer is disposed parallel to the vehicle axle, and wherein the stabilizer is attached at two ends at the wheel suspension. This stabilizer prevents or, respectively, attenuates substantially the transfer of the rolling motions caused by the roadway situation and starting with the wheels onto the vehicle. Such rolling motions occur in particular in roadway curves or in case of non-even road conditions.
Single piece stabilizers are constructed in their dimensioning and their material qualities to a predetermined spring rate such that the stabilizers accept the torsion forces only in a certain order of magnitude and are capable to furnish corresponding counter forces. Therefore single piece stabilizers react to different loads either too soft or too hard, which is disadvantageous with respect to driving comfort. For this reason single piece stabilizers are in principal only conditionally suited for motor vehicles, where the motor vehicles are furnished both for the use of the road as well as the use cross-country. Therefore a subdivided stabilizer is employed in vehicles intended for the road and for cross-country wherein the two stabilizer parts of the stabilizer are connected to each other through an actuator.
Such an actuator can for example be a hydraulic swivel motor, as is described in the German printed Patent DE 19742882 C1 of the applicant or the actuator can also be an elastic revolving turret as is known from the German printed Patent DE 4342360 C2. Another actuator is known from the German printed Patent DE 19923100 C1 of the applicant, which actuator is performed as a switchable coupling or a clutch and which actuator is furnished additionally with a coupling piece connecting the stabilizer parts shape matchingly to each other.
Each of these actuators in principle comprises an outer rotary part, wherein the outer rotary part is connected to one of the two stabilizer parts through a cover and the flange, and an inner rotary part, wherein the inner rotary part is connected to the other stabilizer part through a shaft. The two rotary parts are furnished rotatable against each other over a limited angle. Conventional clamping sleeves or screw sleeves are applied as connection parts between the flange and the one stabilizer part as well as between the shaft and the other stabilizer part in general. Such subdivided stabilizers are suitable for the most different requirements. The divided stabilizers are however associated with an essential disadvantage. Thus each actuator represents a compact unit with a substantial longitudinal extension, which longitudinal extension to a corresponding degree loads the effective spring length of the two stabilizer parts.
The same spring paths entail thereby higher torsion tensions in the two stabilizer parts, which requires at the same time higher spring rates. The higher spring rates lead to a loss in quality and in the lowering of the driving comfort.